Punt Drunk: Kementari wins thanks to Nash brilliance
With plenty of hope and expectation put on a few horses on Saturday, it was pretty grim viewing for the punters who took the shorts, with a lot of favourites getting beaten in Sydney.
A track bias at Randwick saw Straight Arron defeated, Fireburn denied the Triple Crown and Big Parade get shoved out of the way in the Hall Mark by a controversial Nash Rawiller ride.
While all of that was going on on the track, whinging punters were bickering about the antics happening in the stands at Randwick.
BEATEN BY THE BIAS
Straight Arron was one of the more popular picks on Saturday’s 10-race program at Randwick, but a fairly large drift in the betting in the final moments before the jump sent shivers down the spine of punters who took odds on. The Chris Waller-trained three-year-old got a long way back under James McDonald and while he worked home strongly to run third, the star hoop blamed the track bias for the horse’s defeat. “Track bias against us,” was the post-race comment offered by McDonald, so he was clearly unhappy with the way it played. The star hoop bounced back pretty quickly, riding Espiona to a dominant victory in the fifth. If that wasn’t enough for JMac, he put Cascadian in a terrific spot in the Group 1 All Aged Stakes to win another race at the highest level this autumn.
3YO filly Verona came home with a strong run to win impressively at big odds for @cmaherracing in the ACY Securities Frank Packer Plate. #RoyalRandwick. pic.twitter.com/XwyQw8EMAD
— Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) April 16, 2022
KNOCK ‘EM DOWN, NASH
Kementari has always been a horse that punters love to hate, but the solid market push on Saturday suggested that punters have turned to simply love the son of Lonhro. He resumed in the Hall Mark Stakes on Saturday at Randwick where he was up against odds on favourite Big Parade in the 1200m event. With the rail apparently the place to be, that is exactly where Nash Rawiller decided to go on the $6.50 chance. It got pretty bloody tight along the fence, with Special K bumping into the running rail, but with a few deep breaths he shot the gap and drove through to win. Rawiller got suspended – again – for the ride – which was dangerous according to the rule book, but all horses and jockeys returned safely and in one piece. Shithouse rule, penthouse ride.
SPECIAL K!!!!
What a run by Kementari! 😍@JamesCummings88 pic.twitter.com/vI4NhVBdt8
— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) April 16, 2022
WAY UP IN THE SKY LITTLE DARLIN’
‘The Horses’ is the unofficial anthem of race goers here in Australia, and that is exactly what the punters got on Saturday after the last at Randwick. With the Theatre of the Horse packed post-Race 10, the live band set up and ‘The Horses’ being pumped through the speakers, it was the perfect way to end the afternoon. Yes? Well, apparently not according to some people.
“Not one horse, yet plenty of alcohol,” one punter said.
“How many of them would know the name of the winner of the last? 2%?,” another commented.
“This shows young people like love music… not horse racing,” another said.
Seriously, stuff like this gets people to the track. They spend the money having a punt, buying a burger at the food van and booze at the bar. They tell their friends and go again next Saturday. How can it be a bad thing?
What a sport.@aus_turf_club @MattJenkinsATC pic.twitter.com/aryhgLoKNk
— Ben Williams (@BWilli0011) April 16, 2022
About Punt Drunk
Welcome to Punt Drunk – our daily column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump…
